Stepdad beat 9-year-old NJ girl to death and mom cleaned up the murder, prosecutors say
🔴 Prosecutors say the couple falsely claimed the 9-year-old may have been struck by a car.
⚠️ Investigators found blood in the family’s bathroom and clothing.
💔 The girl died Tuesday after being hospitalized with severe injuries.
PAULSBORO — Prosecutors say a Gloucester County couple cleaned up the blood after their 9-year-old daughter's murder and then made up a detailed lie to cover up the killing.
Paulsboro residents Sean Scott, 45, and India Miller, 27, are both charged with first-degree murder, first-degree accomplice to a murder, two counts of second-degree child endangerment, fourth-degree hindering, and fourth-degree making a fictitious report to police.
Scott and Miller, who live together in the borough of 6,100 people, were arrested after the death of their 9-year-old daughter on Tuesday, according to Gloucester County Prosecutor Andrew Johns.
They're being held at Salem County Jail, and both parents face life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors say parents fabricated hit-and-run story
Prosecutors said Scott and Miller called 911 around 1:10 a.m. Tuesday to report that their daughter wasn't breathing.
Scott told police that the girl had been walking their dog and she may have been hit by a car. Miller said she heard the sound of tires screeching, and then the girl's stepfather found her badly hurt near the shed.
But there was no crash, prosecutors said. Video surveillance showed no vehicles driving through the area at the time.
Investigators said the couple concocted the story to avoid responsibility for killing their daughter.
Medical examiners ruled the girl’s death a homicide
The 9-year-old girl was hospitalized early Tuesday morning. Medical staff found she was covered in horrific bruises and suffered internal injuries.
She was pronounced dead at 6:42 p.m. Tuesday, prosecutors said. Medical examiners ruled that her death was a homicide.
An autopsy found signs of severe physical abuse, including previous injuries that had been healing. The girl's left eye was swollen shut, and she had scrapes around her inner thigh. She also had a ruptured colon and multiple broken ribs.
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Police then found evidence of an attempt to clean up the murder in the family's upstairs bathroom, prosecutors said. There was blood on the tile around the bathtub, children's clothing with blood on it, and even more blood on various cleaning supplies, including a Swiffer Wet Jet.
The girl's 4-year-old sibling later told police that Scott had hit the victim in the eyes and face.
New Jersey 101.5 did not know Thursday whether Scott and Miller had an attorney who could speak on their behalf.
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